The world of Virtual Reality has exploded with enormous interest, investment and opportunities for creative exploration. In this 100 level course we will get you up to speed with the current approaches, gear and opportunities. We feel this is something fxphd does very well, - provide current deep technical insight on tech that is still evolving, with interview and contributions from experts from around the world. This course will talk to those producing VR, marketing it and promoting it so you can fully understand what is involved and how to position yourself to take advantage of this explosion of activity.Currently there is no one killer pipeline or 'solution' to VR so it is important that you get up to speed with the diversity of opinions and approaches coupled with a solid technical understanding of the issues. Led by Mike Seymour and John Montgomery, we will explore everything from filming and stitching to Lightfields and Plenoptic capture right through to distributing your work and the business opportunities.VR is a very real alternative for creative image professionals and effects companies alike, - with the literally billions being invested by Facebook and Google, can you afford to not understand the issues and challenges that are being presented ?Specific class details and order is to be determined, but here are most of the topics being covered over the duration of the term:ApplicationsHow can VR be used? It is not enough as a professional to make it just because it is cool... or at least it is a lot cooler to also have a meaningful business application. We speak to producers around the world about just they see the budgets and production funding models evolving. We have built long term relationships with a series of key developers and producers to try and give you the most informed perspective on this very much evolving environment.Viewing DevicesOculas Rift, DK1 Dk2, Cove, GearVR, Valve, cardboard,.. al just a few of the options for viewing, but just how much does the player influence the project design? How does the data rates of mobile differ from the opportunities of head tracking? We will explore the key issues with people who were buying Oculas Rifts on Kickstarter - when the "vr" community were laughing at the ability of the new company to even deliver.Large and small rigsWhile we will cover the entry level GoPro multi-camera 3D printer rigs we will also talk to companies doing 6 or 9 Epic RED Rigs. These big rigs offer incredible resolution but flying a 6 Red Epic rig on a crane is no small deal (!). We feel it is important when you sit down with a client to discuss a project that you have all the pros and cons of each option to maximize your projects chance of success.Live Action Filming LanguageJust what is the language of VR film - when cuts, closeups, and traditional framing becomes irrelevant.While Filming and stitching is clearly a challenge in VR, it also directly affects how well you can derive a virtual stereo par for play back. Any camera rig will have the film backs offset from the nodal center - but just what does that mean to producing high end final content?AudioIn a VR world where you can't cut to a close up or reframe for effect, audio becomes even more important. Audio not only sets the mood and scores the emotional content but with full audio solutions it can drive the viewers attention to the correct orientation, - want someone to turn around? Try exploding a tank behind them! But with this very personal audio experience, how does sound design and sound mixing need to work? We talk to the professionals who have experience in VR sound design (and even mic design for VR).Production/postThere are a range of key tools being used today in VR production and rendering, in April at NAB even more opportunities and pipelines present - widening further your choices for high end production.DeliverablesIf you want to deliver VR content what is the format? What is the color space? How do I grade and master the final deliverable and can I future proof the project? The requirements for a game engine real time VR experience is very different from a performed live action piece or a Lightfield render. We outline the current options.course syllabusClass 1: An interview with Mark Bolas from Mixed Reality Lab (MxR), ICT, USC.Class 2: Mike explains Otoy's lightfield technology and the Octane Render roadmap.Class 3: HTC Valve and user cases plus an interview with Michael Henson.Class 4: Beginning our look at live action VR. Using virtual reality photography to examine the problems of parallax and multiple camera rigs. A brief look at three types of rigs we'll be covering in the course: GoPro, Epic/Dragon, and Jaunt. A discussion with Digital Quilt's Geoffrey Bund about their homemade RED Dragon rig.Class 5: Beginning our look at live action VR. Using virtual reality photography to examine the problems of parallax and multiple camera rigs. A brief look at three types of rigs we'll be covering in the course: GoPro, Epic/Dragon, and Jaunt. A discussion with Digital Quilt's Geoffrey Bund about their homemade RED Dragon rig. Part 2.Class 6: Mike talks to Jon Wadelton and Simon Robinson from the Foundry about their current development of VR tools.Class 7: Getting set up for shooting with a six GoPro 360 VR rig, considerations before you shoot and suggestions for useful equipment, including the Freedom 360 Mount. We also continue our discussion with Digital Quilt's Geoffrey Bund about their own GoPro VR rig.Class 8: Prepping and file organization for constructing the stitched environment, correcting for misaligned sections, ghosting and exporting the various cameras for further compositing.Class 9: An approach for doing VR previs, VR distribution channels, a variety of VR capture methods, and a look at a prototype audio rig for capturing 360 degree audioClass 10: Mike talks to Rob Bredow about the just announced ILMxLAB and the Jurassic World VR experience.